Can’t find your ancestor? Getting frustrated?
We all hit a brick wall in our genealogy research now and then.
Or, as we call them here in New Mexico, adobe walls, lol!
Archive for Genealogy
My own 4-generation pedigree chart, and my paternal grandparents, Archie Raymond Thornton Sr. & Hazel Islery Clay, on their wedding day in 1925. Aren’t they a handsome couple?
Who wants their chart done? Family tree pedigree chart, that is?
If you think pedigrees are just for royalty, dogs, and horses, think again! Genealogy makes history personal for everyone. And a family tree makes a great gift for a loved one…or for yourself!
7 Generation Pedigree Chart with sample projects indicated.
Your family tree is never really finished! It is forever growing on both ends. New descendants of your ancestors are continually being born (even if not to you, personally), and no matter how many branches and leaves you’ve added in the past, there are always more for you to discover.
Who is this saucy young woman? Don’t know? Don’t care?
She looks like fun, though, doesn’t she?
What if you found this photo in a bin at Goodwill? For sale on eBay?
Would you buy it? Would you feel vaguely sad that somebody got rid of it, and move on?
What if you found her in your parents’ stuff and didn’t know who she was?
Would you keep, or toss? Would you try to find the story behind the photo?
Family website
Shhh! Don’t tell my family, but I’ve finally figured out what I’m giving them all for Christmas.
“What?” you ask…with bated breath…
Why, The Gift of an Organized Family Tree, of course!
“But wait…you’re an organizer, and a genealogist. Haven’t you already shared your family history with your family?”
Well…yes and no…
What comes to mind when you hear the word “genealogy”? Does it sound boring and time-consuming? Or, does it sound fascinating in the same way that solving a mystery or reading a historical novel can be?
Pedigree charts might sound fancy, but they’re really just family trees. If you think pedigrees are just for royalty, dogs, and horses, think again!
In my last blog post — Family history: Why organize it if you don’t care about genealogy? — I proposed six family history categories: keepsakes, memorabilia, photos, genealogy research materials, medical history, and pedigree charts (aka family trees).
This post is specifically about organizing your genealogy research materials.
Did you know that not everyone cares about genealogy? Gasp! It is the #2 hobby in America, though. (Do you know what the #1 hobby is? Keep reading to find out!)
Sometimes when I talk about family history I am, indeed, referring to genealogy. But not always. So, what else falls under the umbrella term family history? Think about your own things as you read this list. Some items will belong to more than one category.
The genealogy research money tree.
Genealogy research can be an expensive hobby if you factor in computer programs, tools, memberships, documentation fees, research trips, books, seminars, and conferences! (Hmmm, wonder how much I’ve spent over the years? Not to mention the time invested…)
But it doesn’t have to cost a penny.
I want to help everyone who’s interested in discovering, organizing, preserving, and sharing their family histories regardless of where they live, or how much money they have. But there’s only one of me, and I need to make a living too (so I can’t work for free). In this post, I’ve listed some options for researching and organizing your documents, memorabilia, and photos, in order of affordability.
This little book is a gem! The Basic Genealogy Checklist: 101 Tips & Tactics to Find Your Family History, by Henrietta M. Christmas and Paul F. Rhetts.
Henrietta and Paul are longtime friends (of each other). She is the President of the New Mexico Genealogical Society, and a recent acquaintance of mine; he has written over two dozen nonfiction and history books. As a longtime genealogy researcher who has started providing family history research services to others, I was curious enough about this new book to attend their signing, at Bookworks Albuquerque, and to buy a copy for myself. Just so you know, this review was my idea, not theirs.
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